CUTE. CLEVER. MISCHIEVOUS. INTELLIGENT. DANGEROUS.

Billy (Zach Galligan) gets a furry little creature called mogwai as a gift from his father who found it in a Chinatown store; the mogwai comes with a strict set of rules that must never be broken…

A horror comedy that was so intense it helped create the PG-13 rating, it has nevertheless become a minor classic, especially at Christmas time. The filmmakers turn a sleepy, wintry small town into a war zone when the mogwai starts spawning evil little creatures who wreak havoc. The ensuing mayhem is fun to watch, until it becomes a bit too monotonous.

Likable cast, a crazy Jerry Goldsmith score and great creature design are bonuses.

1984-U.S. 106 min. Color. Directed by Joe Dante. Screenplay: Chris Columbus. Music: Jerry Goldsmith. Cast: Zach Galligan (Billy Peltzer), Phoebe Cates (Kate Beringer), Hoyt Axton (Randall Peltzer), Frances Lee McCain, Polly Holliday, Glynn Turman, Judge Reinhold, Corey Feldman, Jonathan Banks. Voice of Howie Mandel. 

Trivia: Co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall. The film features cameos by Spielberg and Robby the Robot, of Forbidden Planet (1956) fame, voiced by Marvin Miller who also did the robot’s voice in the original. Michael Winslow contributed to the vocal effects of the mogwai and gremlins. Followed by Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).